Sapa : Last stop in Vietnam

We chose Sapa as our final destination in Vietnam and did not regret it. We considered skipping it but after calculations on when to enter and exit China, we had a couples days to fill in after coming back from Halong Bay. Sapa is an overnight bus trip out of Hanoi in the North West direction and we arrived there early in the morning feeling bleary eyed but excited by the glimpses of landscape we had caught in between winks of sleep from the bus windows. Apparently, while I was sleeping, in another impossible position, the bus driver hit a scooter who was thankfully more shocked than injured. After long and loud negotiations, the bus driver gave him a small amount of cash and waved him off. Blissfully unaware of what was happening outside, I enjoyed the stop thinking that the bus company was very kind to give us a bit of extra sleep time.

The area around Sapa is a hilly/mountainous region which is home to various ethnic minorities. The hills have been sculpted into an infinite number of terraces cascading down and used mainly for rice. The terraces are cultivated by hand, with the help of water buffalos pulling small mechanical plowers through the mud. Whatever is grown on those hills is then taken to the market in Sapa along with various arts and crafts more directly targeted at tourists who are well on the way to becoming the main industry in the region.

Shortly after getting there, we managed to find what would become our best room yet. It was spacious and elegant but mainly, we had our very own balcony overlooking a magnificent valley. To top it off, breakfast was included and it was actually good. We probably allowed a bit too much time in Sapa but we didn't mind as it was a pleasure just sitting outside, having a couple beers and watching the sunset.

In order to keep drowsiness at bay and to make the most of the rare good weather, we hired a scooter and went exploring the mountains. We drove along the steep undulating road and reached Tram Ton pass, the highest mountain pass in Vietnam at 1900 meters above sea level. The pass is also the starting point to the climb to the top of Mount Fansipan, the hightest mountain in the country. After a quick lunch back in town, we continued our explorations and unfortunately this was to become one of our worst experiences on the trip so far. We made the mistake of heading for a hilltribe village a few kilometers out of Sapa. The drive there was stunning and when we got to the gate we accepted to pay a fee and continue into the village. As soon as we got there, we instantly regretted it. Naively thinking that we could have a quick walk around the village, we soon realized that we had become the main attraction. We had barely stepped off the scooter when we were instantly surrounded by a dozen women of various ages vying for our attentions, whether by speaking robotic English or grinning toothless red and black smiles, trying to sell us anything from silver jewelry to embroidered bed spreads. As I tried to get Chris' attention, my voice was drowned out by the constant pleas for money. After a few minutes, when it became clear that we weren't going to buy any pouches or pillowcases, we literally ran away, hopped back on our scooter and drove off as quick as possible. The feelings that flooded me after that were those of disappointment, disgust and anger. Those feelings weren't directed at them but rather at the system that has trapped these people into a way of life that is similar to slavery. Unable to develop into a more modern lifestyle, they maintain these supposed customs to attract tourists while poisoning what was fascinating in the first place. They are completely dependent on the tourist trade and have turned almost entirely towards it. The problem is that they don't look so much like farmers as beggars and they will lose their way if they do not regain control of their independence and create a sustainable way of life for themselves which does not involve entertaining curious tourists like monkeys in a zoo.

We had planned to hike to another village on the next day but of course, we changed our plans and suddenly had plenty of times on our hands. That was fine, we made the most of our last Vietnamese pleasures. We had lots of coffee, watched people walk around and live their lives, spent some time on the internet and sat on our balcony. We knew that the easy lifestyle of South East Asia was quickly coming to an end so we soaked it all in.

After 3 days in Sapa, we were on our way back to Hanoi where we spent one last day before heading to China. Chris had to get a Mongolian visa and we just had a few things to organize before the big move. We celebrated our last night in Vietnam by having a sensational meal of fresh spring rolls and cold beer in a cute restaurant in the heart of the Old Quarter. The next morning, we packed up our things and boarded the bus with that feeling of excitement and anticipation one gets when something big is about to happen.